It is known that most suitable from the practical standpoint are methods of producing graft copolymers of cellulose with vinyl monomers, in particular, with vinylpyridines, residing in free-radical graft copolymerization of cellulose with vinyl monomers from aqueous solutions or from solutions in organic solvents in the presence of initiators of the free-radical type. The use of organic solvents, however, makes the process of producing graft copolymers of cellulose under industrial conditions extremely complicated and expensive and decreases the yield of the end product and the reaction rate. Graft copolymerization of slightly water-soluble (less than 1%) vinyl monomers, for example, vinylpyridines from water solutions is impractical. Therefore, graft copolymerization of slightly water-soluble vinyl monomers is performed not from solutions but from water emulsions. Thus, for instance, a method is known of producing graft copolymers of cellulose with vinyl monomers, in particular, with vinylpyridines, by way of free-radical graft copolymerization of cellulose with vinyl monomers from water emulsions in the presence of an emulsifier and a free-radical initiator. An emulsifiers use is made of nonionogenic emulsifiers of the type ##STR1## where R=alkyl C.sub.8 -C.sub.10, or of ionogenic emulsifiers of the type ##STR2## where n=14-17; or of the type ##STR3## where n=10-16.
The use of said emulsifiers allows an increase of the reation rate and a decrease of the treatment modulus (the term "modulus" is used here to imply the ratio of cellulose mass to that of the liquid phase). In the case of graft copolymerization of vinylpyridines in the presence of said nonionogenic emulsifiers the conversion of monomers is low (25-35%). In the case of graft copolymerization of vinylpyridines in the presence of ionogenic emulsifiers a considerable amount (20-30% as calculated for the monomer conversion) of free homopolymers is formed in the reaction mixture and on the fibers.